Spider-fans are going to have to wait at least three months before any significant "Spider-Man 4" news comes in, because that's how long director Sam Raimi says it will take for the film's script to be completed.

"Right now, David Lindsay-Abaire is working on a draft of the new picture," Raimi told SCI FI Wire. "And he's hard at work, and hopefully we'll see something in about three months."

While it's good to know that scripting is underway, there's some bad news as well -- Raimi says we won't hear official word about the villains until after the script's completion, despite previous rumors tagging The Lizard, Morbius and Carnage as potential enemies.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the villains yet," said Raimi. "I think I have to wait 'til the finished screenplay, and then it'd be up to Sony Pictures and the producers to determine when they want to release that information. To them, it's usually a big, a big, big thing, a big moment where they want to present the villain with the proper respect or fear that he or she deserves."

Or she, says Raimi? Might that bit of gender-ambiguity have a little something to do with the Deadline Hollywood Daily rumor that there's "another gal part" aside from Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man 4"? Perhaps it's time for Felicia Hardy, better known as Black Cat, to go claws-to-webs with Tobey Maguire's big-screen superhero.

Even though it might be a little while before your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man graces the news pages, there should be some good news relatively soon. According to Raimi, the film's release date of May 6, 2011, is firmly set in stone, meaning we'll have some answers well before then.

"We have to make the release date, and on all of these pictures, the 'Spider-Man' films -- and I'm sure it's the same as with many of the other bigger-budgeted films -- they have release dates far in advance of a screenplay," said Raimi. "So it's about getting it ready the best you can in time for the first day of production. That's what we've always done, and that's what we'll try to do again."

Is 2011 too far off for you arachnoholics? How long until we get some substantial Parker news? While you're waiting, take a side trip to the 1960s and '70s to alleviate your Spider-fix!

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Cover Artist

Splash Page welcomes Ed Tadem to our cover artist family (our custom-designed theme up top). Currently working on the forthcoming "Avengers" animated series, Tadem's work can also be seen in the "Jackie Karma" issues of Image's "'76," and in "Pop Gun, Volume 1." Ed Tadem can be found online at EdTadem.com.